T-I-R-E-D

T is for....Traditions

Every year the Duke Chapel hosts hundreds of people for their annual live nativity.  It sort of unites all Christian religions in the community with this simple ceremony. If you are one of the early birds, your children will be picked to be in the nativity.  If you're not, all children get to be an angel and walk around the audience of adoring parents ringing their bells. The atmosphere of the stained glass windows and ancient looking stone makes it solemn and majestic.

I is for.... Importance

We got to share a traditional Bethelehem dinner with some friends.  The food served was only from the time Jesus lived; pitas, hummus, lentils, rice, raw vegetables, juice, etc.  We sat on the floor by candle light and did our own rugged version of the nativity.

Well, some laid on the floor instead of sat

Mary (Gretchen), Joseph (Becket), Donkey (Spencer)

R is for..... Rising

Waking up to Christmas morning is the best when you've got young children to share it with.

Conked out after our Christmas Eve Parties

Christmas Day Destruction

E is for....Eliminate

We gathered up some friends to play some dodgeball in the backyard. We soon found that the adults had a greater time playing this competive sport than the children did.  Pancakes and breakfast goods were supplied to support our outgoing energy.

Making Ben Stiller Proud!

Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa!

D is for.....Different Destination

We headed to Myrtle beach for a family get-a-way.  It's mentally refreshing to be somewhere different for a change, especially when it involves 70 degree weather, sand, the ocean, and waterslides.

Becket's largest drawing pad ever!

Beach Babes

Jumping contest

Pure joy for someone who was terrified of the ocean 1 year ago

What does that spell....TIRED! 

Goodnight.

Christmas morning in 54 seconds

I heart

I heart
1. kids checking themselves out in sink faucets (Mat).
2. veggies at this point in the Christmas season
3. soy chocolate milk
4. Micah trying to pray and read
5. restaurant.com --password GIVE to get 80% off

The Carolina Inn

The Carolina Inn was built in 1924 and sits just off the campus at UNC. It's historic and elegant. We love going to it in the summertime when they invite the local bands to play on the front porch. We usually meet Mat after work, spread out our picnic and watch the kids dance. Very southern. So southern you want your sweet ice tea and cigar.
We also like to go through The Carolina Inn at Christmastime so we can see the gingerbread houses and decorations. Here are a few pictures in case you decide to visit (me):

Beginning, Middle, End

Beginning



Middle



End



OH WELL!

Holiday Tips

Holiday tip #1066
Go caroling at Hillcrest Retirement Home in Durham, NC because you get treats after your hard work and efforts. After all, there is nothing better than receiving.



Holiday tip #1145
Don't go to room 104 when caroling at Hillcrest Retirement Home because the old lady does not like small children and she will swear at you if needed.



Holiday #1672
Don't leave your frosting bag in the hands of small children or husband when decorating your gingerbread house.



Holiday #2136
Avoid loud shoppers talking to their kids. They give you tedious details about how and what they are shopping for when you're not on a need to know basis. It x's your Christmas spirit and puts you in a Grinchy mood.

Holiday tip # 2870
Call ahead of time before going to the mall to take pictures with Santa so that you don't have to wait an hour with anxious kids.



Holiday tip #3002
Kids can be entertained for hours just running around a cement fountain waiting for Santa.





Holiday tip #3265
Harris children always feel nervous around Santa and it gives me extreme pleasure to see the pictures.



Holiday tip #3721
Children's toes make great tape holders when wrapping presents.



Holiday tip #4312
Children say they're helping when making cookies, but they really are not.



Holiday tip #4577
Christmas plays can be a lot of fun when all you do is pretend to sleep.



Holiday tip #4775
Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

I Heart

I Heart
1. Catching up with Stephan Colbert
2. That my office light now works
3. Good food to eat and I don't have to go hungry
4. That once was thought stolen (Mat's wallet) is now found
5. That I get to live in the book "Where the Wild Things Are" everyday

I Heart

I Heart-
1. Counting 12 stuffed animals and 5 blankets for Gretchen to go to sleep with last night.
2. Getting Christmas cards in the mail.
3. Bumbi's eating habits
4. Turning off the lights leaving only the Christmas tree and candles to light up the house.
5. Becket telling the bishop what he should know during tithing settlement.

Where do they learn to eat like this?

Micah follows after Becket's infamous banana eating habits with her gluttonous orange inhaling. How she doesn't end up all Mama Cass v. Ham Sandwich we'll never know.

If You Give a Micki a Paint Cup

If you Give a Micki a Paint Cup (another version of If you give a Mouse a Cookie)

If you give a Micki a paint cup during preschool she will try to open it.
When she tries open it she realizes the lid is different than others.
So, Micki gets a butter knife.
Micki pushes too hard with the knife and the paint goes splatting everywhere.
Micki needs to change her shirt.
When she drops her shirt in the laundry she remembers she needs to wash some clothes.
She also remembers her daughter's crib sheet needs to be changed.
That also reminds her that her own sheets need to be changed.
She remembers to grab the receipt to take back an item at Target.
She also grabs the garbage because it is full.
Micki closes the lid to the washer.
Micki remembers why she was upstairs in the first place the paint! (The paint is downstairs with the 3yr olds)


The kids are happy to be painting. Micki is happy they are painting too.




Which reminds her, does anyone want to paint?

Next book......If You Give a Micki Peanut Butter Pie

Christmas Music Mix 2008

We always enjoy finding new Christmas music each year, especially original songs or unique renditions of old songs by new artists. In the past we have made CD's of our findings and sent them out as Christmas gifts. Our budget this year makes that a little difficult, but thanks to the wonder of the internets, we can share our yearly mix with all of you who care with a simple download link. We found 24 good songs in mp3 format and put them into a .zip file you can download by clicking here. The file is about 108MB and will be available online for 30 days. Some of the songs are playing right now if you are listening to our background music selection. If you do download it, let us know which songs you like best in the comments section. Oh, and support the artists and buy the songs if you really like them and all that stuff.

Happy Thanksgiving!

That's all....Happy Thanksgiving!

I Heart

I Heart
1. The narrator's voice for the ER ads that come on during The Office.
2. The giant sweet potatoes that come out from wherever they've been hiding just so they can impress our Thanksgiving tables.
3. Talking to old friends--it's a mini taste of what I think heaven might be like.
4. Paper headbands and jammies 'til noon
5. 4 day weekends with the house smelling like turkey.

Hard things

Does anyone?
1. find it hard to read the security code when posting something on facebook or your blog
2. find it hard to find the right string when opening a bag of flour
3. being the last one at the dinner table--and waiting for that ahem person to finish eating so you can clean up?

I Heart

I Heart-
1.When ducks eat upside down.
2. People's accents---German, North Carolinian, English, Irish, African
3. Thinking about how I'm going to create my gingerbread house
4. Baby Mama
5. Micah's pivoted twirls

Eye See

Atlanta Experience

Mat and I recently took an adventure down to Atlanta for his ophthalmology conference. We didn't care where we went, just happy to be together (blak!cheesey) but without kids (thanks Jeanette). Anyway, when you're in Atlanta some highlights would be.... the traditional Aquarium, Coke World, Botanical Garden, History Center (Muppet exhibit was fun, especially the Frageles, 'member them?), Stone Mountain Park, and the CNN tour, where Tony something (forgot his last name) waved to Mat and I personally after he came off the air, at least I thought he was waving specifically to us. What we found to be the most fun was walking around the Exhibitor's Hall on the basement floor below the conference. Sorry, it was not open to the public, just people wearing special conference IDs who most likely spoke another language and wore glasses.
Add in free samples of candy, ice cream, tote bags, eye magic eight balls--this is what you might find:

Silly Serious Eye Doctors-

That might be a little wrong-

Warning: several stations had what was called--Bad Candy-- it had no chocolate value whatsoever and we stayed completely away from it. We also didn't even take a second look at their free pens-

Bonus! Massages for FREE (found way back in the far left corner, good thing we were thorough)

I Heart

I Heart
1.Being on vacation with my husband and knowing that we are the funniest people alive in Atlanta
2. Visiting the exhibitors at Mat's ophthalmology conference and getting a bunch of free candy, pens, and eye magic eightballs.
3. Crispy bacon and muffin tops
4. The inventor of the continental breakfast
5. Seeing my kids tomorrow

John McCain after his conceding speech...

One heck of an election Mr. McCain. You fought a good fight and we wish you a happy life.

5 MORE YEARS! 5 MORE YEARS!...

We had half the neighborhood over for Becket's Birthday and we hope everyone had a nice time.



Being it was election day, we went with an election theme complete with a campaign poster cake and flag decorations.



Micki made soup and bread and their were cupcakes for all. The kids finished it up with a few sparklers.

Are you better off today than you were 5 years ago?

My fellow Americans, five years ago today I came into this world, an 8 pound 8 ounce bundle of hope. I have proven that I can bring about change, like changing what my parents do on a Friday night and changing their bank account from full to empty. But I also brought a lot of happiness, joy and talent with me that I plan to share with all my countrymen in my next 5 years and beyond. We may squabble as to the direction our nation is headed, but there is no arguing that my direction is up and coming. So look out America, Becket Harris is taking on the world and we can all expect a brighter tomorrow. (cue cheers and applause).

Paid for by The Committee who Created Becket Harris.